Mountain
streams along the Wasatch mountains and high country plateaus were diverted
for irrigation, giving Utah geography a north-south axis that contrasted
to the east-west thrust of the nation. The farming village became a
characteristic of the cultural landscape. By the year 1900 more than
400 farm towns had been established. Most towns were laid out in grids
with small farms adjacent. Speculation in land was denounced by community
and church leaders. Property ownership often was subordinated to community
objectives. Land values remained low. Debt was rare. Diversified self-sustaining
agriculture was dominant. Initially at least, a biblical concept of
stewardship deterred overexpansion and exploitation of the land. Irrigation
was communal in social intent, limited in capacity, and generally environmentally
benign. In theory, timber's potential to serve the community was more
esteemed than its promise for profit. This land-based communalism worked
well. The Mormon pioneer experience was expressed in physical forms
that lasted for generations; and for many Utahns traditions of land
use that looked beyond economics became second nature.